Baby Number 2 | First Trimester Symptoms and To-Do-List

Finding out you are pregnant with baby number 2 can be a little stressful, maybe this wasn’t planned and your thinking “now what do I do”? How am I going to take care of two kids and what do I need for this baby? Well, momma, I am in the same boat as you, just found out we are having another baby and still in shock. It’s stressful especially if you weren’t planning to have another child for a little while. Here are tips on how to deal with symptoms and what you need to get done in your first trimester.

Babies are a blessing and a gift even when you don’t think the timing is right this baby will probably be the biggest blessing and joy that you won’t be able to imagine life without them! Yes having two is hard and being pregnant while caring for your first child can be exhausting, you can do this momma and I am here to help you.

Symptoms in Your First Trimester When Expecting Baby Number 2

You may have the same or similar symptoms with baby number 2 that you had with your first baby, then again it may be totally different in this pregnancy. Every pregnancy has it’s differences so no two pregnancies will ever be the same, which can be a good and bad thing.

The first pregnancy I was sick all the time, my pants got tighter very early on and I couldn’t eat much, with my second I got sick here or there but felt fine for the most part except for feeling super tired all the time and my pants fit just fine until I was over five months pregnant. Now I’m pregnant with baby number three and it’s back to feeling dizzy and sick a lot of the time followed by extremely sore breasts and being tired but unable to nap because I have a toddler that needs me. This goes to show the vast difference between each pregnancy!

1. Physical Symptoms

Since your body has done this before you may notice some differences in how your body prepares itself right away, your organs start moving and you may feel your hips relax making your clothes a bit more snug this time then the last one.

2. Weight Gain

You might start gaining weight earlier on then you did the first time because your body already knows what to do and also depending on if you are watching what you are eating or if this time around you are to busy with a little one to prepare healthy meals.

I’m with you on this but it’s not too time-consuming to add in vegetables with your meal or eat carrots and other healthy foods at lunch. What I started doing is having eggs in the morning with whole wheat toast or drinking breakfast essentials if I couldn’t eat, at lunch cheese and turkey or quinoa with kale (packets you can buy from Cosco that microwave in 5 minutes and taste amazing), then at dinner make steamed vegetables along with your meal. Small changes will help you keep your weight from getting out of control!!

You may find that you aren’t as tired when you eat better, I found that out in this pregnancy and it has made a big difference for me being able to keep up with our toddler.

3. Baby Bump

Your baby bump will appear a little sooner than it did before, due to the muscles being stretched from your previous pregnancy and you might have this happen as early as ten weeks depending on if you worked out at all before this pregnancy. My second pregnancy I showed at 12 weeks but I also had ten years between the first and second pregnancy, now I have three years between and that makes a big difference.

It’s like I’m pregnant for the second time due to the age gap and one being in high school!

4. Aches and Body Pains

You may find that your body aches more the second time and you feel pain in your hips, pressure in your ribs, and even your back, as your body is preparing for a growing baby. This is all normal and it happens sooner with baby number 2 just because your body already knows what to do.

I do have a few tips for this though and it has been working great for me so far, drinktart cherry juice(one small glass a day, this will help boost your immune system and help with any pain you may have), do pelvic strengthening exercises to alleviate any back pain and help those muscles stay firm and together (I have diastasis recti so I have to do these now or I won’t be able to carry the baby without problems) make sure they are safe for pregnancy.

My other tip is to get a big water bottle, the one I use is CamelBak .75L bottle, this works great for me as I drink water all the time anyway. You only need to drink about four of these a day and drinking out of this is easier for me to drink water than out of regular glass. You should get one, it’s surprising how much easier it is to drink more water during the day when you use one of these.

5. Mood Swings

You might notice your moods change really quickly and you are more sensitive to things that never used to bother you. All of this is due to hormone changes and it will pass after your first trimester so don’t worry.

My toddler was being mean to me one day and I about cried and that was how I figured out I was pregnant again because I hardly ever cry about anything ever lol.

6. Cramping

You may feel some cramping throughout your first trimester that you don’t remember having in your first pregnancy, this is normal it’s just more noticeable this time because your body is changing so quickly. You might even feel a hardness in your abdomen as your uterus is growing and, feels almost like a ball just below your belly button.

7. Morning Sickness

In your second pregnancy, you may start getting morning sickness really early on, unless you are one of those lucky people that doesn’t get it at all. At this point, you know what worked for you the last time to keep it at bay, but if you didn’t have it as bad as you do this time you may find this article to be super helpful How to Deal With Morning Sickness So You Can Enjoy Being Pregnant

I have noticed in this pregnancy that some days I am super sick and others I feel perfectly fine, I guess it all depends on your body and the hormones that are all wonky right now.

Baby Number 2 First Trimester To Do List

Since this is the second time around you probably know what you need to do to prepare for baby during this trimester. If you aren’t completely sure or too tired to think about it, here is a quick list for you.

Schedule Doctor Appointment

It’s a good idea to get a doctor appointment scheduled right now, especially if you go to an OB that is crazy busy, it may be hard to get in when you want to. My OB always has a packed schedule so I scheduled an appointment the day I found out I was pregnant because I won’t be able to get in for at least a month.

If you don’t have a doctor to see you should start looking for one that is highly recommended and get your appointment scheduled now.

Start Prenatal Vitamins

Look for a good prenatal vitamin that has plenty of folic acid and DHA in it and start taking these right away to make sure you are getting everything you need to help your baby develop. Your doctor will prescribe these to you when you get in to see him or her but you may not want to wait that long to start on them. You might be able to call and get them earlier if you don’t want to go with the over the counter ones.

Exercise Regularly

If you aren’t exercising right now it’s a good idea to start doing something to keep you moving and feeling your best. I know having morning sickness may make this impossible but on the days when it isn’t so bad or during that one part of the day when you don’t want to throw up go for a nice walk or get to the YMCA (they have daycare which helps a ton) and go swimming or walk on one of the machines.

Don’t overdo it where you are totally exhausted, try for thirty minutes of cardio and maybe lifting some light weights. This is very important for your body to be able to withstand physical activity during labor and will help make it a lot easier.

Announce Your Pregnancy

You might want to share the news sooner this time then you did the last or maybe it’s the opposite for you. Whenever you feel ready let people in your family and close friends know that you are expecting baby number 2!

This time around we chose to tell our close family and friends right away along with our coworkers and bosses. It’s not a big secret for us this time and I think it is because we were so shocked over having another baby that telling people is the only thing that helps it feel okay.

Loose Bad Habits

Now that you are pregnant it’s time to stop all those bad habits if you have any. No more smoking or drinking and definitely cut back on the caffeine and any junk food you may love to eat. This one can be really hard for some mom’s especially when you have anxiety over being pregnant and are stressed out taking care of a little one while your pregnant and tired all the time.

Think about your new baby and what is best for them, try not to think about it as losing your stress relief rather find something else that works for you. If you like to drink wine try to swap it out with some delicious nonalcoholic drinks. For more on this, you may like this book called Preggatinis: Mixology for the mom to be, it is full of delicious recipes that you will absolutely love.

If it’s the caffeine you really enjoy like coffee, which is my favorite this is a great replacement for that it’s called Mommee Coffeeand comes in many different varieties and tastes delicious without all the guilt.

Budget For Baby

Having another baby can be expensive especially if you don’t have all the supplies for it because it’s the opposite sex or you got rid of the baby stuff a little too early. Try to set aside at least $25 dollars a week or more if you can to baby supplies and items so you don’t break the bank all at once.

Shop smart and go to garage sales and thrift stores or talk to friends that may have items they don’t want or need anymore. This is a great way to save on those items your new baby will be growing out of quickly.

Signing up for free baby items is a great way to save some money on things you will need. Thekrazycouponlady has a list of 28 baby freebies for new and expecting moms that are worth you checking out. I am going to be doing all of these things for this baby as well and praying it’s another boy so we can use some big items we already have lol.

Final Thoughts On Baby Number 2

Preparing for baby number two is going to be less stressful then baby number one was just because you are busy with a little one right now and the time is going to zip by. You already know the ropes of being pregnant and have some idea on what you want to do as far as baby stuff, labor plans and how to recover postpartum.

If you do feel stressed and overwhelmed right now with the thought of having two children try to take one day at a time and remember that when you had your first child you had no idea what you were doing. Now that you have an idea of how to care for a baby it might be easier then you think it will be.

Stressing over what you don’t know isn’t going to change or help anything, try reading articles on people that have done it and prepare your first child for a new sibling. It’s going to be okay momma, I’m on this journey with you and I get how it feels all too well!

Welcome to my blog!

I’m Cheree,

Wife, mommy of 2, part time worker and blogger. I started this blog as a creative outlet but it has grown into a passion for helping new mom’s like me as we go through this journey of motherhood together.

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